OT: ants

Bill - can you help?!?!?  It was such a beautiful 70 degree day.  I so enjoyed it.  Nothing was wrong with the world until 7 pm.  For no particular reason, I decided to check on transplants in the front yard iris bed.  There were flying ants everywhere - by the hundreds.  There were not there a week ago.  Where did the from come?!?!  Where?!?!  There are none of these ants anywhere else in my yard or the neighbors.  There are plenty of the small black "peony" ants.  There have been problems with the large red ants - more this year than usual.  I did not even have a clue these flying red ants were even in my yard - no ant hills like the other large red ants or even the typical small black ant hills.  When I inspected the area closely, looking for their primary entrance hole, I found only a quarter size hole even with the ground.  In fact, I found several of them.  Is this typical of these red flying ants?
 
I sprayed with malathione immediately.  Kinda spoiled whatever party they thought they were having in the middle of my BREAKERS and JESSE'S SONG rhizomes.  How dare they.  I checked the area again this morning.  There were still several staggering around the area, drunk.  Assumably, the malathione cocktail will kill most all of them.  Anyone know for sure.  Will I need to be concerned about those that got away establishing themselves in another area of the yard?  Do I need to be concerned about a hatch in about 10 days and need to spray again.  I malathione the "drug of choice?!"  I would like to know more about these flying red ants - where they came from, destoying them, yada yada yada.  thanks
 
Nancy Price
SW Kansas, AIS, HIPS
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